The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-05-07
Mr.. BLAIME's FA1AlIsM.
He Felt that He was 20 be DE.
le0ted in 1SS4-A Suggestion
for lA0S.

| nose VINO were nearest 10 JaIlleS
G. Blaine in the canvass of 1884,
and who had his entire confidence,
says writer in the Philadelphia
Times, can bear evidence that there
never was day or hour, from his
nomination at Chicago in June,
1884, until the end of the campaign
on the first Tuesday Of November,
that Mr.. Blaine did not believe he
would be defeated. Many who
were not even close in his conf
dence can recall how despondently
throughout that canvass he would
refer to the similarity of his polit-
ical career to that of Henry Clay
each beginning life as school
teacher, then a member of the leg
islature, congressman, speaker OF
the house, senator, and each de-
feated twice for the presidential
nomination, and both nominated
upon the third trial of strength,
and. The manner in which
Blaine would refer to the defeat OF
Henry Clay, the idol of his party,
by James X. Polk, a man almost
unknown to the people at large, had
a most depressing effect upon his
friends. But there was another
matter that deeply affected Mr.
Blaine and confirmed him in his
fatalistic fear that the decree of
fate made his defeat absolutely
certain.
A critical examination of the re-
suits of presidential elections, such
as, perhaps, only Mr.. Blaine him
self would think of making, showed
him that upon every occasion of a
presidential election the candidate
whose name ended with the letter
"n" was elected, and as this letter
"n" theory of Mr.. Blaine may play
a conspicuous part in the campaign
of next year, fatalists and super
stitious politicians would do well
to study the lesson Mr.. Blaine has
already learned. In 1888 George
Washington, a letter an" man, de-
feated John Adams by an electoral
vote of 60 to 81, and in 1892 Wash
ington again beat Adams by a vote
of 1872 to II. In 1904, as Thomas
Jefferson and Aaron Burr each had
73 electoral votes, there was no
election by the people, and upon
the thirty-sixth ballot in the house
of representatives Thomas Jefferson
was elected. In 1908 Thomas
Jefferson and George Clinton de-
feated Charles Colesworth and Ru-
fus King by an electoral vote of 1872
to 14-in this case the first in
which candidates for president and
vice president were nominated for,
the last letter of both the success
full candidates names ended with
"n." In 1912 James Madison, for
president, and George Clinton, for
vice president, had 122 votes to AZ
each for c. c. Pinckney for presi-
dent and Rufus King for vice pres
ident. Madison was reelected four
years later. In 1923 Andrew Jack
son and John &. Calhoun, both
names ending with en-" defeated
John Quincy Adams and Richard
Rush for president and vice presi-
dent by an electoral vote of 17S to
SO. In 1892 the candidates for
president were Andrew Jackson,
Henry Clay, John Floyd and Will
lam Writ of Maryland, and the
candidates for vice president were
Martin Van Buren, John Sergeant,
William Virgins, Henry Lee and
Amos Ellmaker, and Of the 2So
electoral votes cast, Jackson had
219 and Van Buren, 1S9, both letter
"n" fellows again winning.
In 1886 Martin Van Buren, de-
feated William Henry Harrison by
vote of 10 to 73, and Richard
NJ. Johnson was elected vice presi-
dent over Francis Granger, John
Tyler and William Smith of Ala
bama; but in 1910 Gen. Harrison
defeated Van Buren, by a vote Of
234 to 60. The next letter "n
candidate was James Buchanan
who defeated John c. Fremont and
Millard Fillmore. In 1860 the
candidates were Abraham Lincoln
and Hannibal Hamlin-both letter
"n" nominees. Breckinridge ant
Lane, Douglas and Johnson, anc
Bell and Everett, and in 1864 Lin
, coin and Johnson against Mcclellan
, and Pendleton, all names ending
. with the letter "n," the republican,
e winning by vote of 212 to q
The next letter "n" was Samue
) j. Tilden, who defeated Hayes be
!, fore the people by vote of 2O2 t.
; 167, but which an electoral com
e mission, with Senators Morton ant
/ Frelinghuysen, both letter "n'
}, statesmen, changed to 185 for Haye
: to 1874 for Tilden. There have bee1
no letter On" candidates sine
Y 1879, and only bad luck, death AM
defeat has attended the republican
t candidates since then.
VI Soon after the nomination Q
g Grover Cleveland l met James G
/ Blaine and strolled with him fre
s quently on the banks of the Ker